LETTER: How these changes have come about

Published: Friday, August 30, 2013 at 11:11 AM.

In the early 1950s, this nation was unified and patriotic, having just defeated Hitler’s Nazism and Japan’s attempt to bring this country down, and Communism had been thoroughly discredited. Divorce was rare, abortion and homosexuality were “in the closet.” Unwed mothers were not thought of favorably. Cohabitation, transgender, and same-sex marriage were unheard of. Our country was unified by traditional Judeo-Christian values. Most Americans trusted their government, schools, and the news media, and television was censored for language, sex, and violence.

But in 50 years, we have gone from a nation unified by traditional values to one in which those values are increasingly scorned, rejected, and demonized. Prayer in schools, the Ten Commandments in public buildings, Christian symbols, and even the name “Jesus” have been banned in many places. And, shockingly, in contrast, some California schools teach a major unit on Islam, compelling students to dress up as Muslims, memorize portions of the Koran and participate in “jihad games.” Today’s education in schools includes a watered-down version of history depicting our nation as bad rather than good.

So, what has brought about this drastic change and how can our nation be restored? David Kupelien in his book, “The Marketing of Evil,” states that within the space of our lifetimes, much of what Americans once abhorred has been perfumed and gift-wrapped and sold to us as if it had great value. By skillfully playing on our values of fairness, generosity, and tolerance, we have been persuaded to embrace as enlightened and noble that which all previous generations since America’s founding regarded as grossly self-destructive and evil. Example: People who wanted to choose a certain behavior (abortion, homosexuality) without criticism were depicted as neglected or persecuted victims who wanted to breathe free and should have their “rights” to such choice. AIDS was a backset to the movement, but with the terrible suffering and thousands of deaths came natural sympathy. Then came the words “gay rights” with a positive sounding identity and implying they are denied basic freedoms. Christians and other proponents of traditional biblical principles are routinely cast as “bigots” and “homophobes,” Direct quotes from the Bible are routinely condemned as “hate speech” and journalists agonize over this viewpoint.

As for the problem of “separation of church and state,” many judicial activists on the Supreme Court and lower courts, ACLU lawyers, the press, and secular culture in general have argued and ruled erroneously, as none of these words – “separation,” “church,” or “state” are in the First Amendment. The correct wording is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The Constitution was written by Christians and founded on the Ten Commandments. The Constitution does not require that Christian faith be taken out of government, and we must not sit on the sidelines while our basic freedoms are lost. There is no hope for us as a nation if the Christian faith is taken out of government. Thomas Jefferson has said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Divorce, fatherless children, and the breakdown of the family are life disturbing and a serious problem. Fatherlessness surpasses both poverty and race as a predictor of social deviance. Children need a loving two-parent family. They deserve and desperately need firmness, patience, fairness, limits, kindness, insight, and a good non-hypocritical example.

A recent study by respected pollster George Barna showed that born-again Christian adults in the U.S. think and act virtually the same as non-believers. The study explains that it is because believers do not train their children to think or act differently. When our kids are exposed to the same influences, without much supervision, they should be guided to interpret their circumstances and opportunities in light of biblical principles or they will be involved in the same unbiblical behaviors as everyone else. Also today, the failure rate for marriages among Christians is virtually the same as among non-Christians.

While the churches remain the last, best hope Americans have for restoring the culture, evangelical Francis Schaeffer has said that while cultural wars have been raging, the evangelical Christians were seemingly absent from the struggle and most had said nothing, or nothing different from what the world would say. He called this “accommodation,” emanating from human weaknesses like fear of rejection, need for acceptance and approval, and desire for advantage. The church must not forget that teaching difficult truths against an increasingly hostile culture is an essential witness of the church. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Whether we know it or not, here in America we are in a battle for the very heart and soul of our beloved nation.

In the early 1950s, this nation was unified and patriotic, having just defeated Hitler’s Nazism and Japan’s attempt to bring this country down, and Communism had been thoroughly discredited. Divorce was rare, abortion and homosexuality were “in the closet.” Unwed mothers were not thought of favorably. Cohabitation, transgender, and same-sex marriage were unheard of. Our country was unified by traditional Judeo-Christian values. Most Americans trusted their government, schools, and the news media, and television was censored for language, sex, and violence.

But in 50 years, we have gone from a nation unified by traditional values to one in which those values are increasingly scorned, rejected, and demonized. Prayer in schools, the Ten Commandments in public buildings, Christian symbols, and even the name “Jesus” have been banned in many places. And, shockingly, in contrast, some California schools teach a major unit on Islam, compelling students to dress up as Muslims, memorize portions of the Koran and participate in “jihad games.” Today’s education in schools includes a watered-down version of history depicting our nation as bad rather than good.

So, what has brought about this drastic change and how can our nation be restored? David Kupelien in his book, “The Marketing of Evil,” states that within the space of our lifetimes, much of what Americans once abhorred has been perfumed and gift-wrapped and sold to us as if it had great value. By skillfully playing on our values of fairness, generosity, and tolerance, we have been persuaded to embrace as enlightened and noble that which all previous generations since America’s founding regarded as grossly self-destructive and evil. Example: People who wanted to choose a certain behavior (abortion, homosexuality) without criticism were depicted as neglected or persecuted victims who wanted to breathe free and should have their “rights” to such choice. AIDS was a backset to the movement, but with the terrible suffering and thousands of deaths came natural sympathy. Then came the words “gay rights” with a positive sounding identity and implying they are denied basic freedoms. Christians and other proponents of traditional biblical principles are routinely cast as “bigots” and “homophobes,” Direct quotes from the Bible are routinely condemned as “hate speech” and journalists agonize over this viewpoint.

As for the problem of “separation of church and state,” many judicial activists on the Supreme Court and lower courts, ACLU lawyers, the press, and secular culture in general have argued and ruled erroneously, as none of these words – “separation,” “church,” or “state” are in the First Amendment. The correct wording is: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” The Constitution was written by Christians and founded on the Ten Commandments. The Constitution does not require that Christian faith be taken out of government, and we must not sit on the sidelines while our basic freedoms are lost. There is no hope for us as a nation if the Christian faith is taken out of government. Thomas Jefferson has said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

Divorce, fatherless children, and the breakdown of the family are life disturbing and a serious problem. Fatherlessness surpasses both poverty and race as a predictor of social deviance. Children need a loving two-parent family. They deserve and desperately need firmness, patience, fairness, limits, kindness, insight, and a good non-hypocritical example.

A recent study by respected pollster George Barna showed that born-again Christian adults in the U.S. think and act virtually the same as non-believers. The study explains that it is because believers do not train their children to think or act differently. When our kids are exposed to the same influences, without much supervision, they should be guided to interpret their circumstances and opportunities in light of biblical principles or they will be involved in the same unbiblical behaviors as everyone else. Also today, the failure rate for marriages among Christians is virtually the same as among non-Christians.

While the churches remain the last, best hope Americans have for restoring the culture, evangelical Francis Schaeffer has said that while cultural wars have been raging, the evangelical Christians were seemingly absent from the struggle and most had said nothing, or nothing different from what the world would say. He called this “accommodation,” emanating from human weaknesses like fear of rejection, need for acceptance and approval, and desire for advantage. The church must not forget that teaching difficult truths against an increasingly hostile culture is an essential witness of the church. All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing. Whether we know it or not, here in America we are in a battle for the very heart and soul of our beloved nation.